Back when we were in college, my little brother and one of our friends got into a very interesting debate about nooks vs. crannies. This debate may have been after a few beverages of the adult variety, (just sayin’).

But it definitely piqued my curiosity when I decided to make my own English muffins. You all remember the Thomas’ English Muffin commercials, talking about nooks and crannies right? But does anybody know what the heck they are?

So of course I looked up the definitions, after asking Mike, thinking since he was an English teacher, maybe he would have a clue. Alas, I was wrong, so to the old Funk & Wagnalls I went. (Yes, that is an actual name of a real life, real old dictionary.)

Apparently a nook is a small corner or recess and a cranny is a small, narrow opening. Hmmm….

How would you say that relates to English muffins? Number one, there are no corners on English muffins. Number two, a recess and an opening kind of sound like the same thing! So what are we, the consumer, to think? I’m starting to get worked up over here!!!

I can see now how these two words led to such a debate.

No matter what a nook or what a cranny is, they work together to make English muffins one of my favorite types of bread/carb aside from pizza… and pasta… and of course a good sourdough. Clearly, you see I have a carb problem.

Anyway, I saw this recipe for whole wheat English muffins from Stephie and I had to try and make them myself. It is a super easy recipe that will leave you with plenty to share or enjoy over the weekend all by your lonesome if you are a carb fiend like me!

Add milk to a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave milk on high for two and a half minutes until it reaches about 110 degrees F. Whisk in the sugar to the milk. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.

When the yeast is foamy, whisk in the egg and melted butter.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the flour mixture. Mix until incorporated. Dough will be wet and shaggy. Leave dough in the bowl, cover with a dishtowel, and leave to rise in a warm area for at least an hour.

After an hour begin to heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Lightly dust your hands with a bit of flour and then scoop out a ¼ of a cup portion of dough. Sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal on the skillet/griddle. Work the dough into a small circular disc in your hands and then place on the skillet/griddle. Cook each side for 7 to 10 minutes until deeply golden.

Let English muffins cool for 10 minutes before eating. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for three days or freeze for up to a month.

Most days start like this for me:

“No, Ryan Lochte…I can’t swim away with you. I’m married!”

“Beep, beep, beep, beep!!!” (My dreams are rudely interrupted.)

Snooze button.

9 minutes pass…

Beep, beep, beep, beep!!!

9 minutes pass again…

Beep….

Smack! (That’s the sound of me shutting the alarm off).

An hour passes…

“Aaaaaaahhhh!!! I’m late!!!”

Then I run through the house gathering an outfit for the day. I take a quick shower, barely washing all the soap from my hair. I slap some cover-up on my face and partially blow-dry my hair. Then I’m out the door.

Sometimes I have a few minutes to spare to spread some peanut butter on a piece of pita bread and maybe grab a cup of coffee for the drive. That is very rare in these parts, though.

Luckily, this summer I have had more days off and more free time than I have had in a long time. I started making freezer breakfast sandwiches and breakfast muffins ahead of time on my off days. Trust me; this is the way to do it!

When you wake up all flustered and your heart is pounding out of fear of being late to work and you grab one of these chocolate banana muffins from the counter, your hectic morning seems to slow down. All will seem right in the world when you take that first bite from this muffin.

Beware: once you finish the muffin, you come crashing back to reality. But hey! At least you had a good breakfast!

Ingredients (Makes 12 Muffins)

½ Cup Unsalted Butter

5 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder

½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2/3 Cup Buttermilk

1 Cup Semisweet Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 Bananas, slightly mashed

½ Cup White Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside for later.

Add about two inches of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Place a medium heat-proof mixing bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Add the coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate along with the half cup of butter to the bowl. The chocolate and butter will start to melt. Stir occasionally until both are completely incorporated. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla into the slightly cooled chocolate butter mixture. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour into the chocolate mixture until no flour is visible.

Fold in the remaining dark chocolate chunks and mashed banana.

Divide the batter into the twelve muffin cups evenly. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffin cool for five minutes in the tin before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

While the muffins cool, add the white chocolate chips to a small heat-proof bowl. Microwave the chips for one minute, until slightly melted. Using a fork, mix the white chocolate until it is all melted. Then take that fork and wave it slightly back and forth over the cooling muffins. The chocolate that drips off the end of the fork while you are waving it will create that great drizzle over the top of the muffins.

Muffins last at room temperature for four days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

Most days I am all about the salty snacks. Bag of super crunchy chips or pretzels with some kind of dip, and I usually get my fix.

However, yesterday was just one of those days where, for some reason, I needed chocolate. Nothing stressful or traumatic happened; I just wanted some good ol’ chocolate.

I went searching the vast regions of my freezer for any remnant of leftover Easter or Halloween candy. Not a scrap of chocolate was there. I could have sworn I stashed a chocolate bunny or two back there. My stash must have been compromised.

I have a suspect in mind. I am sure you all can probably deduct who I think it is.

On days like that, I go to the store for chocolate baking supplies, and then I head to my trusty Joy the Baker cookbook and whip up some of these triple chocolate with a dash of espresso muffins.

Sigh…chocolate craving was successfully subsided.

Then I went and ate two for breakfast this morning, and to the back of the freezer the muffins went. You never know when another chocolate craving is going to hit.

Ingredients (Makes 12 Muffins)

½ Cup Unsalted Butter

5 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder

½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2/3 Cup Buttermilk

1 Cup Semisweet Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ Cup White Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside for later.

Add about two inches of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Place a medium heat-proof mixing bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Add the coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate along with the half cup of butter to the bowl. The chocolate and butter will start to melt. Stir occasionally until both are completely incorporated. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla into the slightly cooled chocolate butter mixture. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour into the chocolate mixture until no flour is visible.

Fold in the remaining dark chocolate chunks.

Divide the batter into the twelve muffin cups evenly. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffin cool for five minutes in the tin before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

While the muffins cool, add the white chocolate chips to a small heat-proof bowl. Microwave the chips for one minute, until slightly melted. Using a fork, mix the white chocolate until it is all melted. Then take that fork and wave it slightly back and forth over the cooling muffins. The chocolate that drips off the end of the fork while you are waving it will create that great drizzle over the top of the muffins.

Muffins last at room temperature for four days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

The best thing about summer is the fruit! And also the warm weather…Oh! And the vacations! Yes definitely the vacations, but mainly the fruit. Yep, berries and peaches galore!

I will warn you that if you are looking forward to a summer vacation, you might not want to wolf down mass quantities of these cobbler muffins. I don’t see them aiding you in getting swimsuit ready.

One or two are totally ok though. You eat healthy enough, right? Treat yo’ self!

If you think about it, they are mainly made of fruit.

Ingredients (Makes 12 Muffins)

For the Muffins:

1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

¼ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ Teaspoon Salt

½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

7 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 Large Egg

1 Large Egg Yolk

1/3 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1 ¼ Cups Diced Peaches or Strawberries

For the Topping:

3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cold

½ Cup All-Purpose Flour

¼ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

Pinch of Salt

¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the cups of a twelve cup muffin tin. You can also use muffin liners if you want to.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set on the side for later.

Place butter in a small sauce pan. Melt the butter over medium heat until it stops foaming and browns. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. While whisking, slowly pour in the slightly cooled brown butter. Make sure to scrape all the brown bits into the bowl too. Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture all at once.

Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together. Once incorporated, add the fruit and fold into the batter.

Distribute the batter evenly between the muffin cups.

To make the topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl using your fingers. You want to make sure the butter is about the size of an oat. Sprinkle a little topping on to each muffin.

Bake muffins for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins from the oven and cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Gently remove muffins from tins after 20 minutes by using the tip of a butter knife. Let the muffins completely cool on a wire rack.

So, after my husband and I ate a combined total of 16 Funfetti Pancakes and downed about a cup of strawberry preserves, we were literally flitting around the house like two hummingbirds.

Cut to two hours later. My husband and I are in food comas on the couch watching Happy Endings, complaining about stomach aches.

After a few Tums, glasses of water, and a good nights rest, we finally feel normal again.

I guess being a kid for a day kind of leaves you with the symptoms of a hangover: a headache, shame, regret, and the feeling like you either need a nap or to go on a run.

When you are a kid, you can eat a plate full of 8 pancakes and not feel the emotional toll it takes on you because you don’t know any better. Granted, you will either barf or end up with a stomach ache after all the sugar.

As an adult you sometimes get wrapped up in these rare moments of “kid-dom” and take it a little too far.

Today, for all of you who joined us in our night of sugary bliss and are now wondering why everything in your house is covered in a sticky sugary film, I have a nice and easy comforting recipe that contains absolutely no sugar.

Ingredients

1 ¾ Cup Cornmeal

¾ Cup Flour

4 TSP Baking Powder

¼ TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Salt

2 Cups Cultured Low-fat Buttermilk

2 Eggs

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes, rinsed

¾ Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

2 TSP Fresh Oregano, finely chopped

Combine all dry ingredients and oregano in a large bowl. Mix well.

Combine eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until blended.

Add in the feta and sun-dried tomatoes and mix until evenly incorporated.

Pour batter into a greased muffin tin and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

This is enough to make 12 small muffins or 6 large muffins.

Think of this cornbread muffin as the more adult version of the Funfetti cupcake.